Exocelina michaelensis Shaverdo & Balke

Shaverdo, Helena, Sagata, Katayo, Panjaitan, Rawati, Menufandu, Herlina & Balke, Michael, 2014, Description of 23 new species of the Exocelinaekari-group from New Guinea, with a key to all representatives of the species group (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Copelatinae), ZooKeys 468, pp. 1-83 : 16-17

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Dytiscidae

11. Exocelina michaelensis Shaverdo & Balke sp. n. Figs 2, 31

Type locality.

Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands Province, 37 km S Goroka, Hogave village, Mt. Michael, 06°22.48'S; 145°15.26'E.

Type material.

Holotype: male "Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands, 37 km S Goroka, Hogave vill., Mt. Michael, 2179-2800m, 9.-15vii.2009, 06.22.479S 145.15.256E, Sagata (PNG 230)", "DNA M. Balke 4082" [green] (ZSM).

Diagnosis.

Beetle medium-sized, piceous, with dark brown clypeus and sides of pronotum; pronotum with lateral bead; male antennomeres simple; male protarsomere 4 with large, thin, slightly curved anterolateral hook-like seta; median lobe with submedian constriction in ventral view and elongate and broadly pointed apex in lateral view; paramere with distinct notch on dorsal side and subdistal part elongate, with brush of long, dense, thin setae. Size, dorsal sculpture, and structure of the male genitalia of this species strongly resemble those of Exocelina bismarckensis sp. n., Exocelina gorokaensis sp. n., and Exocelina vovai sp. n., but the species can be easily distinguished from them with its simple, not modified, male antenna.

Description.

Size and shape: Beetle medium-sized (TL-H 3.85 mm, TL 4.3 mm, MW 2.1 mm), with oblong-oval habitus, broadest at elytral middle. Coloration: Dorsal surface uniform piceous, with dark brown clypeus and sides of pronotum; head appendages yellowish brown, legs darker distally (Fig. 31).

Surface sculpture: Head with relatively sparse punctation (spaces between punctures 1-4 times size of punctures); diameter of punctures smaller than diameter of cells of microreticulation. Pronotum and elytra with distinct punctation but finer and more evenly distributed than on head. Pronotum and elytra with relatively strongly impressed microreticulation, dorsal surface submatt. Head with microreticulation stronger. Metaventrite and metacoxa distinctly microreticulate, metacoxal figs with longitudinal strioles and transverse wrinkles. Abdominal ventrites with distinct microreticulation, strioles, and extremely fine, sparse punctation, almost invisible, only slightly coarser and denser on two last abdominal ventrites.

Structures: Pronotum with lateral bead. Base of prosternum and neck of prosternal process with distinct ridge, smooth and rounded anteriorly, without anterolateral extensions. Blade of prosternal process lanceolate, relatively narrow, convex, with distinct lateral bead and few setae; neck and blade of prosternal process evenly jointed. Abdominal ventrite 6 broadly rounded.

Male: Antenna simple (Fig. 31). Protarsomere 4 with large, thin, slightly curved anterolateral hook-like seta. Protarsomere 5 ventrally with anterior row of more than 40 and posterior row of 13 thin, moderately long setae (Fig. 2A). Abdominal ventrite 6 with 15-18 lateral striae on each side. Median lobe with submedian constriction in ventral view and elongate and broadly pointed apex in lateral view (Figs 2B, C). Paramere with distinct notch on dorsal side and subdistal part elongate, with brush of long, dense, thin setae (Fig. 2D).

Female: Unknown.

Distribution.

Papua New Guinea: Eastern Highlands Province. This species is known only from the type locality (Fig. 53).

Etymology.

The species is named after Mt. Michael where it was collected. The name is an adjective in the nominative singular.